by GREEN BAY, Wis. (GreenBayPhoenix.com)– Junior guard Tesha Buck (Mdewakanton Sioux) scored a game-high 23 points, including 16 in the first-half, and Green Bay used a 17-0 run to begin the second quarter to propel itself to a 69-46 victory over in-state rival Milwaukee on Saturday afternoon at the Kress Center.
Leading by three after one quarter of play, 13-10, the Phoenix scored 17-straight points to begin the second quarter, while holding the Panthers scoreless for seven-and-a-half minutes to jump out to a 20-point advantage, 30-10.
Milwaukee did not score its first basket of the period until 2:30 remained on the clock, cutting its deficit to 30-12.
Keying the Green Bay attack was the hot-shooting first half of Buck, who proved why she is one of the most dangerous 3-point marksman in all of college basketball. The native of Red Wing, Minn., scored 16 points in 13 minutes off Kevin Borseth’s bench in the opening half, connecting on 6-of-9 shots from the field including 4-of-5 beyond the arc.
Meanwhile, the Phoenix defense was once again at its best in the first 20 minutes, smothering the Panthers to just 18 points on 22.2 percent shooting (6-of-27), while forcing 10 turnovers to take a 35-18 lead into halftime.
Green Bay, who outscored Milwaukee 14-0 on the fast break and 15-2 in second-chance points, received contributions from up and down its roster. Guards Allie LeClaire (12 points) and Mehryn Kraker (11 points) combined for 23 points as a tandem, while senior Kaili Lukan chipped in with seven points, five rebounds and a season-high seven assists in 35 minutes.
Buck connected from long range on five of her nine attempts this afternoon, propelling her into fourth place on Green Bay’s all-time three-pointers-made list with 167. The junior guard entered the game needing only six points to reach the 900-point mark, having done so in the second quarter and eventually bring her career total to 917 points by the final buzzer.
The Phoenix’s leading-rebounder, Jessica Lindstrom, added double-digit boards (10) for the ninth-time this season.
Green Bay will welcome Youngstown State (Feb. 11 at 7p.m.) and Cleveland State (Feb. 13 at 1 p.m.) to the Kress Center for the conclusion of its five-game homestand next week. Saturaday, Feb. 13 against Cleveland State will be the annual PinkZone game.
